Pages

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Pattern magic! Bows experiment

Here's a quick post about a patternmaking experiment I did.
This bow bodice was based off the book "Pattern Magic" by Tomoko Nakamichi.
The cool thing about the bows on this bodice is they look like they grow right out of the bodice! They use the bust darts plus additional fullness to create this draped looking effect, but it's all done with flat patternmaking.

It's a great book if you like the idea of quirky patternmaking. It doesn't hold your hand though; the instructions are quite sparse!

I haven't been making much lately especially as I've had so much other stuff going on. And in the free time I did have, I decided to make some adjustments to my bodice block to make it fit better... pretty boring!

The fit on that shoulder area.... looks pretty bad! I think this was a flaw in my block, not the bow patternmaking.

Anyway, while I was please I got the experiment to work, I ultimately concluded I wouldn't wear a garment that was so crazy looking so I ditched it at the toile stage. Fun experiment though!

I tried 2 different ways of tying it!

At first when I sewed it up, I was getting really frustrated trying to tie the bows correctly in a way that didn't look horrible, but I eventually figured out how to do it. I think you'd have to do some strategic hand sewing to keep it in place underneath if you were going to make this as a garment, but pins sufficed for this experiment.

I think this would be an interesting technique to use on a dress or blouse if you wanted to have an eye-catching piece! Fabric choice would be critical, to create a bow that had just the right amount of body for your taste.

Hopefully see you guys soon with an actual garment! Do you ever experiment with techniques just to see how you like it? It's a good way to learn! Even though I won't make this into a garment, it was still a good experience. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment

I started this blog after recovering from 10 years of illness. I'm all about making things now I'm well, and trying to make them well! (see what I did there with the name of the blog?). I sew, knit, crochet and generally do whatever creative stuff I fancy!